Tag: NDIS

“The NDIS doesn’t have to be scary”

Hayley Hansen is an easy going, fun loving 28-year old. Hayley loves to go shopping, take her puppy out for walks and do what most other young women enjoy doing.

Hayley Hansen, a participant of Myhorizon since 2008.

As a Myhorizon participant since 2008, Hayley is like many other participants right now, waiting for her NDIS Plan to be approved so she can continue to do the things she loves, but also have the opportunity to choose the supports she needs, when and where she needs them.

When speaking to Hayley’s mother Shan, it’s clear that Shan only wants the best for her daughter, and as a full-time working parent, Shan appreciates the one-one-one support that Myhorizon are able to provide to Hayley currently. Shan’s biggest goal is for Hayley to one day live independently.

“We are getting older as parents so it’s important that Hayley gets the supports she needs to become more independent, and one day live on her own.” Said Shan

Shan says that Hayley’s journey with the NDIS has so far been a very positive one. After having her Planning meeting date confirmed, Myhorizon were able to dedicate the time with Hayley and Shan to complete all their necessary paperwork, ensure all their required information was gathered, and best prepare them for a successful meeting.

“Joe T. from Myhorizon came out to see us and was here for about 3 hours. He filled out all the paperwork for us and prepared all the information we needed for my meeting. He was great and he even came in with us to Hayley’s Planning meeting.

“Ive been really impressed with the whole NDIS process so far. I was a little nervous walking in but the Planner we had in our meeting was lovely. She really listened to us.” said Shan.

Shan’s advice to other families who are still working through their Planning meeting preparations is to be honest and not take all the negative comments on board that they might hear.

“There’s a lot of overwhelming information out there about the NDIS, and yes you have to think of the worst day of your loved one’s life rather than the best day when you’re answering the Planner’s questions in your meeting, but they are there to help you. Having people to support you in the meeting is a really good idea too.

“The NDIS doesn’t have to be scary. I don’t know yet know what we’ll get in our Plan, but so far we’ve had a very positive experience.” said Shan.

For more information on how Myhorizon can support you through your NDIS journey, contact us today.

Rewarding careers in disability

Looking for a rewarding career in the disability sector? Find out why it’s a great place to be right now.

For available positions at Myhorizon, visit https://www.myhorizon.org.au/careers/current-vacancies/

A great display of leadership

The Lifestyle team at Myhorizon are showing a strong display of collaboration across our various sites, where once a month a group of nominated participants meet together as true leaders in the newly formed Participant Advisory Committee (PAC).

This committee was formed by participants, for participants and is a genuine opportunity for those exhibiting qualities of leadership, creative thinking, and initiative to be nominated by their fellow committee members and be a part of a forum that provides them and their peers with a voice.

The committee currently meet at either the Myhorizon Springwood, Ormeau or Ashmore office on the Gold Coast, and have a formal discussion to provide feedback and generate new ideas on the way Myhorizon delivers its Lifestyle Service to them and fellow peers, and the wider community. They then help implement these improvements at their respective branch locations.

When asked what qualities make a great leader and an ideal member of the committee, the participant leaders chime in with attributes that speak to ‘commitment’, and ‘being a good listener’, all important qualities of a strong leader recognised by the entire group.

Recently, Participant Committee member, Antonia Bray, was the driving force behind a fundraiser held at the Springwood branch. Antonia thought it would be a great idea for the participants and staff of Myhorizon to support a worthy cause and so coordinated a ‘Day for Daniel’ fundraiser which is aimed at educating children about safety and support for young victims of crime.

Antonia managed everything from the event registration right through to promoting the event with posters and flyers, and arranging for all taking part to dress in red for the day. Together with the support of the other participants, Antonia and the team raised $150 for the worthy cause.

The Lifestyle team at Myhorizon are passionate about participants having this opportunity to make their own decisions and directly influence their own lives in a positive and meaningful way.

“We are finding this new initiative is working extremely well as a strategy for positive behaviour management” says Key Worker, Colleen Bleathman.

“These participants own the process and the outcomes of these meetings, and many of the ideas they come up with are really clever and relevant.”

For more information on Myhorizon’s Lifestyle service, simply call our Lifestyle Team on 07 3824 7007 or leave an email enquiry for us using the contact form on this website.

(Photo: From left to right: Participant Advisory Committee members – Julia Wojciechowski, Antonia Bray, Jason Korostovetz, Stefan Kanserski, Reese Poelstra, discussing their ideas for Myhorizon Lifestyle services.)